Great Goodwood Revival Races: 2003 Goodwood Trophy

For the first few years of Goodwood activity, it was common to see cars that were more than a decade old competing against the latest machinery. Pre-war ERAs were among those older machines able to keep the fresher cars honest, and those races are recreated at Revival with the Goodwood Trophy, which takes its name from those formative Grand Prix races.

Let’s rewind to 2003 when this mixed bag of single-seaters came together on the grid. Barrie Williams had the advantage when the flag dropped, his Connaught sitting in pole position. Mac Hulbert soon scuppered that, though, putting his ERA into first place as the field negotiated Madgwick for the first time. Irvine Laidlaw completed the first three positions aboard his post-war Maserati.

While there were battles throughout the field, the cameras remained trained on the leaders as they fought lap after lap. Hulbert was the first to succumb to mechanical problems, a failed piston putting him out of contention. By now, Williams had regained his lead and was busily building a margin that was making him look more secure in that position with every passing lap.

Hulbert’s retirement allowed Maserati driver Julian Majzub to inherit third place, while Laidlaw mounted what appeared to be a re-energised challenge on Williams’ lead. The Connaught driver responded by re-opening the gap apparently at will.

Further down the field, Mark Gillies began a challenge for third place and made a brave move around the outside at Lavant to take third place from Majzub. Majzub’s fortunes faded further when he pitted with high fuel pressure and a misfire, ending his hopes of a podium finish.

In the closing laps, Laidlaw chipped away at Williams’ lead, but in the end there was nothing he could do to stop his rival crossing the line first. In fact, he had an ever greater challenge from behind. At the chicane, Gillies drew alongside Laidlaw, the two Maseratis proving the equal of each other as they made their way along the start/finish straight.

Williams profited from their battle and was not under threat when he had to begin negotiating back-markers. The leading trio of Williams, Laidlaw and Gilles would go on to take the chequered flag over half a minute ahead of the remainder of the field, which meant that all eyes were now fixed on Laidlaw and Gillies, fighting for second place as the pair made their way through the traffic together for the closest of finishes.

In the end, it was Laidlaw who won this clash of Maseratis by just over one tenth of a second ahead of Gilles, in what proved the battle of the race, though Williams’ Connaught was still the pick of the grid.

There’s more racing between these Grand Prix and Voiturette cars from 1930 to all the way through to ’51 to enjoy when a new chapter in the annals of the Goodwood Trophy will be written at the 2025 Revival this September.

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